dissident dissident dilemma. chinese activist chen guangcheng have a change of heart after leaving the u.s. embassy? closing ranks. former rivals throw their support to mitt romney. and tragedy and triumph. sports fans mourn the loss of a football legend and celebrate a super human achievement. >> jared weaver has no-hit the minnesota twins! this is the "cbs morning minnesota twins! this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, may 3, 2012. captioning funded by cbs good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm michelle miller. as leaders from the world's two most powerful nations today, the

shadow of one man loomed large over the top. chen guangcheng, the chinese activist who escaped house arrest last week and spent days holed up in the u.s. embassy in beijing, now says he wants to leave china as soon as possible because he fears for the safety of himself and his family. chen's fate now a sore spot between the u.s. and china. this as hillary clinton and treaury secretary tim geithner arrived in beijing to discuss foreign policy and economics with chinese officials. speaking on the phone from a beijing hospital, chen guangcheng says he wants to get out of china because he feels unsafe and that his civil rights cannot be guaranteed. but that wasn't always the case. on wednesday american diplomats said they had reached a deal with the chinese government that would allow chen and his family to resettle in a new location, away from the rural home where they were being held prisoner. but hours after he left the u.s. embassy, chen said he had been

pressured to leave by u.s. officials. this morning they are denying that charge, and say they are still trying to help chen. the diplomatic dance has been dicey for the obama administration. >> in terms of trying to somehow negotiate with the chinese means to guarantee his safety within china, there's just too much chance the chinese regime would renege and then the administration would look terrible. >> reporter: they want to not upset bilateral talks this week. without mentioning chen specifically, secretary of state hillary clinton urged china to respect the rights of its citizens. >> because we believe that all governments do have to answer to citizens' aspirations, dignity and the rule of law and that no nation can or should deny those rights. >> reporter: but the chen affair may have already damaged relations. china is demanding an apology

for the u.s. for hiding chen. chen's work he can posing forced abortions in rural china landed him in jail for four year. after that he had been kept under house arrest with wife, daughter and mother, and was often harassed and beaten by local authorities. cbs news learned a congressional committee plans to initiate contempt charges against attorney general eric holder today in the "fast and furious" investigation. republicans on the house oversight committee will accuse holder of giving false denial answers that misdirected investigators and withholding subpoenaed documents. in "operation fast and furious" the government allowed weapons to fall into the hands of mexican drug traffickers that agents lost track of thousands of guns. now to politics and the gop presidential race. newt gingrich officially ended his campaign and threw his support to mitt romney. and today the former massachusetts governor is expected to get the endorsement of another former rival.

tara mergener is in washington with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. that's right, two more key endorsements for mitt romney and another could be coming, this as pthe obama team ramps up. >> thank you so very much. >> reporter: mitt romney is getting the support of some of his former rivals. cbs news has learned michele bachmann plans to endorse the former massachusetts governor during an event in virginia this afternoon. >> thank you, everyone. >> reporter: bachmann was once a presidential hopeful herself. she is a tea party favorite, a group romney has struggled to win over. this comes one day after newt gingrich dropped out of the race and pledged his support for romney. >> this is a choice between mitt romney and the most radical, leftist president in the american history. >> reporter: the former speaker of the house, wanting georgia and south carolina, but was never able to gain support beyond the south. >> i have to thank the voters of south carolina and i have to apologize to them.

we will have broken their tradition of always picking the nominee. >> reporter: newt gingrich hasn't always been a mitt romney fan. the obama camp reminded voters of what he had to say about romney during the campaign. obama's team released a web ad using gingrich's own words. >> are you calling mitt romney a liar? >> yes. >> reporter: president obama officially kicks off his re-election efforts with events in ohio and virginia this weekend. romney is also focusing on the state. he talks with business owners in chantilly. >> they say, what would you do to get the economy going? i say, well-being look what the president's done and do the opposite. >> reporter: romney will stay in virginia today with a campaign event in portsmouth. now, mitt romney and rick santorum will meet privately tomorrow in pittsburgh in and a media endorsement is not expected to follow. >> all watching that. tara mergener in washington, thank you. the john edwards corruption

trial resumes following dramatic testimony from a former edwards adviser. christina reynolds testified edwards' wife, elizabeth, reacted to a tabloid report about his affair by angrily confronting edwards and then baring her chest in front of staff members. prosecutors say edwards used campaign finance money to cover up his affair. elizabeth edwards died of breast cancer in 2010. officials in arizona are investigating the shooting death of five people. their bodies were discovered yesterday in a phoenix area home. police say the shooter was among the dead. the shooting appears to be a case of domestic violence. the victims include a toddler and other young children. slowing down the investigation, the possibility of hazardous materials in the family's backyard. san diego county police are investigating the death of former nfl star junior seau. his death appears to be a suicide.

just 43 years old, seau was found shot to death at his home, a gun at his side. but there was no suicide note. >> reporter: she cried in disbelief outside her son's southern california home. >> i pray to god, please, take me, take me, leave my child. >> reporter: inside former nfl star junior seau lay dead from a gunshot wound to the chest. police say his girlfriend found him and called for help. but it was too late. >> this case at this point is being investigated as a suicide. a handgun was found near the body. >> reporter: seau in his number 55 was a standout at usc before going pro. he played for 20 years in the nfl. the first 13 years with the san he led them to their only super bowl appearance in 1995. the team's president said the chargers lost a leader. >> i heard somebody say, no coach had to give any inspirational speeches because

he clearly was the leader in that locker room. >> reporter: san diego's major league baseball team, padres, paid tribute to their city's star with a moment of silence. seau also played for the miami dolphins before retiring with the new england patriots in 2009. he made the headlines again in 2010 after driving his car 100 feet down a sea side cliff. the crash happened hours after he was arrested for investigation of domestic violence. seau said he fell asleep at the wheel. the chargers' coach, norv turner, says he'll be remembered as a player and a leader. >> he has had such a great impact on so many people. he will be missed. >> reporter: junior seau was 43 years old. cbs news, los angeles. >> after that tragedy, an uplifting moment in the sports world. los angeles pitcher jared weaver tosses a no-hitter. we'll have the highlights. first, going, going, gone. the iconic painting "the scream"

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that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. it's one of the most recognizable works of art in the world and now it's the most expensive. "the scream" set a new record yesterday when it was auctioned off at sotheby's here in new york. after more than 12 minutes of intense bidding, it sold for almost $120 million. the buyer's name, of course, is not been released. on the "cbs moneywatch," u.s. health care costs spiral out of control. and target turns the page on amazon's kindle. ashley morrison here in new york with more on that. good morning. >> good morning to you, michelle. stocks overseas were lower this morning. hong kong's hang seng lost 0.25%. south korea's index was off a fraction. tokyo's nikkei is closed. investigators are holding their breath ahead of the weekly jobless court. yesterday the payroll

company adp delivered some disappointing employment data. the dow lost as much as 87 points before closing down 10 the nasdaq added nine. new study by commonwealth fund finds the united states spends more per person than 12 other industrialized nations on health care. in 200 the u.s. spent $8,000 a year on medical services, about $3,000 more than the next two countries. the study also found that the extra spending doesn't necessarily translate into better health care. news corp.'s board of directors is sticking with the boss. on wednesday the board said it has full confidence in rupert murdoch. the announcement comes a day after a panel of british lawmakers said murdoch is unfit to lead his media empire after last year's tabloid phone-hacking scandal. the ruling could force news corp. to sell its shares in satellite network british sky broadcasting. amazon says it will start making its own television shows.

the company plans to develop original series this year. consumers will be able to watch on its streaming service. amazon instant video. google, hulu and netflix are making plans to have original content. target says it will stop selling amazon's kindle e-reader at all of its stores and website. the decision comes just as apple is said to open kiosks in more than two dozen target stores. apple and amazon are tangling for dominance in the tabloid computer market. make way for the apple train through target. >> that's got to be a blow. >> a big one. >> absolutely. thanks, ashley. straight ahead, your thursday morning weather. and in sports, a little drama on the last out as the angels' jared weaver pitches his first no-hitter. angels' jared weaver pitches his first no-hitter. people really love snapshot from progressive, but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later,

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creamy spinach artichoke dip, crispy garlic chicken spring rolls. they're this season's must-have accessory. lean cuisine. be culinary chic. here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, cloudy, 60. miami, partly sun, 84. chicago, afternoon thunderstorms, 84. dallas, partly sunny, 87. l.a., partly sunny, 67. now for a check of today's national forecast. severe storms bringing strong winds, large hail and isolated tornadoes will stretch from northeast kansas to northern ohio. showers and thunderstorms will roll into the northeast. another storm system will affect the south.

the heavy downpours in some areas. and rain and high mountain snow will blanket the pacific northwest. in sports news now. the angels' jared weaver had the right stuff, pitching a no-hitter against the twins. he faced only 29 batters, striking out 9. he walked josh willingham in the seventh, the only twin to get on base. the last out was a long fly ball to the warning track that had everybody holding their breath. jared weaver throws his first ever no-hitter and the angels win it 9-0. in basketball, the grizzlies bounce back against the clippers. o.j. mayo was taking it to the hoop and hitting from downtown. he scores 20 to help memphis take down the l.a. clippers 105-98. their series is now tied 1-1. in other first-round games, the san antonio spurs crush the utah jazz 114-83. they take a 2-0 lead. the indiana pacers blow out

orlando 97-74 for a 2-1 playoff advantage. in the hockey playoffs, a marathon triple overtime game between the new york rangers and the washington capitals. at 14:41 in the third ot, the rangers' marian gaborik flips one into the net for a dramatic 2-1 victory over the capitals. new york now has a 2-1 series lead. the predators' goalie, pekka rinne, had an amazing game, making 32 saves against the phoenix coyotes. nashville wins 2-0, but phoenix still leads the series 2-1. the nfl has benched four players without pay for taking part in the new orleans saints bounty system. saints linebacker jonathan vilma is out for the entire 2012 season. anthony hargrove, who is now a packer s barred from eight games. linebacker scott fujita now with the browns has to sit out three games. and defensive end, will smith, will miss the saints' first four

games. eric legrand, the paralyzed rutgers football player just got amazin news. he's going to sign with the tampa bay buccaneers. he got a call on monday from his former coach, greg schiano, now head coach for the bucks. schiano says it's a small gesture to recognize legrand's incredible spirit. legrand says he was shocked when he got the call monday. >> i'm like, thanks, coach, i don't know what to say right now. it's a dream come true for me. i always wanted to go to the nfl. may not be the circumstances i want, but i'm there. >> what a great attitude. legrand says the bucks can't give him any money because of the salary cap. he hopes to eventually become a sportscaster. when we come back, going skin deep. a severely tanned new jersey mother enters a plea in a child endangerment case. in a child endangerment case. - it's the moment when forever begins. kay jewelers presents the ring that lives up to the moment.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around

the country. washington, d.c., afternoon thunderstorms, 81. atlanta, afternoon storms, 83. st. louis, mostly sunny, 87. denver, mostly sunny, 78. seattle rainy, 56. the family of a florida drum major who died in an alleged hazing incident says they wanted more severe charges filed in the case. robert champion died five months ago after he was allegedly beaten on a florida a&m band bus. 13 people were charged yesterday. most with hazing resulting in death. prosecutors say they did not have enough evidence for harsher charges. the government's all-star witness in the roger clemens trial may have thrown prosecutors a curveball. yankees pitcher andy pettitte testified yesterday there was a 50/50 chance he misunderstood a conversation he had with clemens 12 years ago. clemens is on trial for lying to congress about using

performance-enhancing drugs. experts say pettitte's admission could weaken the government's case. the new jersey mom accused of taking her daughter into a tanning booth was in court. patricia krentcil pleaded not guilty to child endangerment charges yesterday. police say her 6-year-old daughter told a teacher last month she got a sun burn while tanning with her mother. it is against the law in new jersey for anyone under 14 to use a tanning salon. the owner of the tanning salon says children are never allowed in the room. in nova scotia, a colorful catch of the day. it's a perfectly symmetrical two-tone lobster. one side red, the other dark green. scientists think a genetic mutation is responsible. the odds of finding one, 1 in 50 million. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," how how omega-3 fatty acids could

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marty is in the first warning weather center. >> on the east side of town right now we have a thunderstorm. a few thundershowers around. this moisture has just now started to dive into the area. it's going to be an interesting early part of the commute. we'll say a chance of showers, thundershowers. 72 at lunch on a way to a high in the mid upper 70s. the united states military academy will post documents seized in the raid on osama bin laden's compound. >> two young sisters are being

honored for saving their grandmother's life. >> a judge will issue the verdict in the trial of two brothers accused of beating two brothers. what one of the defendants said on the witness stand. >> a robber uses a sir ring to hold up a local cvs, the claim he made to the pharmacist there. >> hear from the new jersey woman accused of sneaking her 5-year-old daughter into a tanning salon as she makes her first court appearance. kind of shocked me there. more news, more weather and your first traffic report in a couple of minutes. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,